FAQ

Some of the most frequently asked questions are answered below. If you still have any other questions you can always send us an email.

How many awards are there?

Four – worth 10,000 euros each. There is also a special prize the jury can decide to award.

1. The Investigative Reporting Award – For the individual or team effort which has done most to unearth facts that the public – and society – has a right to know;

2. The Distinguished Writing Award – For the best reportage and feature writing illuminating vital issues at home and abroad;

3. The Commentator Award – For the commentator, columnist or editor whose work has made a decisive impact;

4. The Innovation Award – For the idea – presentational, technical or in terms of editorial techniques – that has made a clear contribution to journalism’s future;

The Special Prize – From 2013, the judges will be empowered to award a special prize for particular excellence in editing or any other discipline, including reporting, feature write and advocacy.

Which countries’ journalists are eligible to compete?

Any of the 47 countries which make up the Council of Europe are fine – though this isn’t a Council of Europe contest, or an EU one. We’ve just taken the widest possible practical definition of Europe.

What do I have to send in and where?

Entries can be sent in using the entry form on this website, which requires to add the full text of the entry as a wordor PDF file.

Can I send in more than one entry or article?

Yes, there are no limits to the amount of articles you can send in. You can either apply more than once, in, for example, different categories or with articles on different subjects. You can also add multiple articles in one entry, if they relate to each other. Please note that even though there are no absolute limits to the length or number of pieces that can be accepted by the preparatory committee; in general, no article or articles should exceed a maximum of 5000 words in all. Going beyond that puts a heavy strain on translation resources.

What’s the timetable for the 2018 edition of the awards?

The European Press Prize will welcome entries for the 2018 edition from the 1st of November. The entry deadline is the 15th of December.

After the entry deadline, a preparatory committee of judges will start sifting through entries – ordering translations, consulting observers from journalism university departments, foreign-based correspondents and trusted observers in order to reduce the number of entries to no more than six in each category. They’ll publish shortlists on the awards website.

Who is on this preparatory committee?

The chairman is Peter Preston, director of the Guardian Foundation, who edited the Guardian in London for 20 years. He’ll work with Uffe Soerensen, member of the board of the Jyllands-Posten Foundation in Denmark, Patrice Schneider from the Media Development Investment Fund, Heikelina Verrijn Stuart, an eminent journalist and lawyer from The Netherlands and Konstanty Gebert, journalist and former Board Member of MDIF. Their aim is to find a selection of the highest quality entries to pass on to the main judging panel.

When will that full panel sit?

At a prearranged time during January and early February 2018.

What is its composition?

Sir Harold Evans, the iconic former editor of the Sunday Times in London, now editor-at-large for Thomson-Reuters, is the chairman of the panel of judges. Sylvie Kaufman, former editor of Le Monde, Jørgen Ejbøl, former editor of Jyllands-Posten, Yevgenia Albats, Editor in Chief and CEO of the Moscow-based political weekly The New Times will join him on the panel together with Juan Luis Cebrián, the founding editor of El Pais in Madrid and CEO of the Prisa media group.

When will the winners be announced?

They’ll be announced at the ceremony in April 2018. All winners will be asked to attend the awards ceremony.